SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The Historic Savannah Foundation has listed the Kiah House property for sale. Virginia Jackson Kiah was a celebrated artist, educator, and activist.
In 1959, Kiah and her husband established their home as a museum – one of the first to be started in Savannah by African-Americans. Notable civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, have walked the halls.
Over the years, ownership of the home and museum has passed through many hands. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson says whoever buys the Kiah House should respect its history.
“This was not only a museum, it was also a home. And so I think that anyone who purchases it should be someone that respects that,” Johnson said. “Obviously, there is some opportunity for some institutional use there. Certainly the restoration of the House in a way that is consistent with what it looked like when the Virginia Kiah was there.”
The nearly 3,000-square-foot property is in the historic Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood and the suggested minimum bid is almost $100,000.